3 things we learned from Steelers loss against the Cincinnati Bengals

The Steelers were embarrassed by the Cincinnati Bengals to extend the losing streak to two games

So, not only did the Cincinnati Bengals embarrass us today in their venue, they beat us in our venue earlier in the season. I don’t have to tell you what that means in terms of AFC North Division standings. The Steelers are really behind the ‘eight-ball’ now.

Having lost a close game last week and considering we were playing an AFC North opponent this week, it would stand to reason that the Steelers would have played with a little bit of an ‘edge’.  Whatever ‘edge’ existed was dulled so much so that not only have we lost two in a row, but we have now lost two conference games in a row.

Let’s see what we learned from the atrocious performance against the Bengals.

The Steelers offense looked lethargic and uninspired

I realize that looks can be deceiving but the Steelers offense frankly looked like we weren’t ready to play.  According to ESPN, we gained a total of three hundred and one yards.  What was really alarming to me was this:  For a team that prides itself on winning in the trenches, we managed a meager fifty-one yards on the ground.

Not only did the ‘O-line’ play poorly in the run game, but we also gave up three sacks.  As I have stated on numerous occasions, the degree to which we can keep Ben Roethlisberger upright generally translates to success; however, that was not the case against the Bengals.

Admittedly, ‘Big Ben’ did not have a particularly good game, having thrown two INTs and losing a fumble.  Even the great QBs have a bad game every now and then; however, when you’re behind multiple scores, you have to take some chances.  Things just didn’t break our way on the offensive side of the ball.

Let’s see what else we learned.